Zoomed Vinay Special · First-person editorial
Chandrababu Naidu: Fifty-Three Days in Custody, Eight CID Cases, Not One Trial. Then, in the Skill Case, the Same CID Said "Mistake of Fact".
Arrested at about six in the morning in 2023 as Accused No. 37, he spent fifty-three days in custody; after he returned to power in 2024, the same agency reported "mistake of fact" or "no evidence" in one case after another, and courts closed them on the agency's own reports, which have not been published. Only once did a court weigh a case on its merits, and it called the FIR "vitiated by mala fides and political vendetta". Case by case, told straight: what was alleged, what the courts decided, what he says, and what is still hidden. A closure is not an acquittal, an arrest is not guilt, and this file is updated to 25 October 2026.
The point of view
Let's go to Nandyal on a Saturday. To be precise, 9 September 2023, about six in the morning. The Andhra Pradesh CID arrests the Leader of the Opposition, added the day before as Accused No. 37 to an FIR almost two years old. He spends fifty-three days in custody and walks out saying he has never made a mistake. His name: N. Chandrababu Naidu. Nine months later he is Chief Minister again. And the agency that arrested him now tells a court the case itself was a "mistake of fact". Eight CID cases. Not one reached a trial. One court found one of them "vitiated by mala fides and political vendetta"; six were closed by courts on the agency's own reports, and one has no ending I can find. A closure is not an acquittal, and an arrest is not guilt. You forgot. I didn't. Here is each case, with its document and his side, up to 25 October 2026.
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Andhra Pradesh High Court: skill-development quash order (22 September 2023)
Andhra Pradesh High Court
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Supreme Court: skill-development Section 17A split judgment (16 January 2024)
Supreme Court
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Supreme Court of India, B.S. Yeddiyurappa v. A. Alam Pasha, 2025 INSC 515 (21 April 2025)
verdictum.in
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Supreme Court of India (Nagarathna and Viswanathan JJ.), Centre for Public Interest Litigation v. Union of India, 2026 INSC 55 (13 January 2026), order of the court and conclusions
indiankanoon.org
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Andhra Pradesh High Court: Inner Ring Road anticipatory-bail order (10 January 2024)
Andhra Pradesh High Court
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Andhra Pradesh High Court: free-sand anticipatory-bail order (10 January 2024)
Andhra Pradesh High Court
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Andhra Pradesh High Court: Amaravati land-pooling judgment (15 July 2026)
Andhra Pradesh High Court
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Telangana High Court: cash-for-vote investigation order (9 December 2016)
Telangana High Court
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Supreme Court of India (Sundresh and Aravind Kumar JJ.), Alla Ramakrishna Reddy v. State of Telangana, Crl.A. 527/2017 with W.P.(Crl.) 162/2017 (21 August 2024), signed order…
livelaw.in
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Telangana High Court: IMG Bharata petition judgment (11 September 2024)
Telangana High Court
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ADR MyNeta: Chandrababu Naidu's 2024 election affidavit
ADR MyNeta
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Association for Democratic Reforms, Analysis of Chief Ministers (December 2024), pp. 2, 4–5, 10
adrindia.org
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The South First, "Another corruption case against Andhra CM Naidu winds down; CID cites 'mistake of fact'" (29 December 2025)
thesouthfirst.com
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Deccan Chronicle: ACB court accepts CID closure in skill-development case
Deccan Chronicle
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PTI via ThePrint, "Andhra CID gives clean chit to CM Naidu in skill development scam case" (13 January 2026)
theprint.in
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The Tribune/PTI: ED supplementary filing in skill-development case
The Tribune/PTI
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The New Indian Express: APSSDC former chairman challenges case closure
The New Indian Express
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Times of India, "HC clarifies rules for 3rd-party access to criminal case records" (10 August 2026)
The Times of India
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Sakshi, "స్కిల్ కుంభకోణం కేసులో కీలక పరిణామం" (July 2026)
sakshi.com
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ANI, "Chandrababu Naidu walks out of Rajahmundry jail" (31 October 2023)
aninews.in
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PTI via The Tribune, "No force on earth can stop me, says Chandrababu Naidu after arrest" (9 September 2023)
The Tribune
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The Tribune, "At Rajahmundry Central Jail, Chandrababu Naidu is prisoner number 7691" (11 September 2023)
The Tribune
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The South First, "Andhra Pradesh High Court grants Chandrababu Naidu regular bail in APSSDC scam case" (20 November 2023)
thesouthfirst.com
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Deccan Chronicle, "Skill Development Case: Supreme Court dismisses bail cancellation plea against Chandrababu Naidu" (15 January 2025)
deccanchronicle.com
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India Today: ACB court dismisses FiberNet case against Naidu
India Today
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PTI via The Week, "AP CID files chargesheet in AP Fibernet scam case naming Chandrababu Naidu as A1" (17 February 2024)
theweek.in
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Gulte, "Fibernet case closed" (29 November 2025)
gulte.com
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LiveLaw, "FiberNet 'Scam' | Supreme Court asks Chandrababu Naidu & State to avoid public comments on case" (12 December 2023)
livelaw.in
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Siasat, "AP Fibernet case: CID gets nod to approach court for attachment of properties" (14 March 2024)
siasat.com
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The New Indian Express: ACB court closes liquor-policy case
The New Indian Express
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The South First, "CID registers new case against Naidu over alleged manipulation of Andhra Pradesh liquor policy" (30 October 2023)
thesouthfirst.com
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TeluguBulletin, "Court closes liquor case against Chandrababu Naidu" (2 December 2025)
telugubulletin.com
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The New Indian Express, "Liquor policy case: Andhra Pradesh HC asks CID for details" (10 April 2026)
newindianexpress.com
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The New Indian Express: CID charge sheet in Inner Ring Road case
The New Indian Express
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The New Indian Express: High Court rejects Inner Ring Road petitions
The New Indian Express
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Telugu Times, "Chandrababu: చంద్రబాబు కేసు క్లోజ్!" (1 April 2026),; ap7am (1 April 2026),; TeluguOne
telugutimes.net
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Andhra Jyothy, "ఐఆర్ఆర్ కేసు మూసివేతపై వైసీపీ మాజీ ఎమ్మెల్యే ఆళ్ల పిటిషన్" (1 July 2026)
andhrajyothy.com
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LiveLaw: Supreme Court leaves land-pooling quashing intact
LiveLaw
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Samayam Telugu (25 November 2025)
telugu.samayam.com
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The South First, list of cases (3 November 2023)
thesouthfirst.com
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ETV Bharat, "గనుల శాఖ మాజీ డైరెక్టర్ వెంకటరెడ్డి అరెస్ట్" (27 September 2024)
etvbharat.com
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The Hans India, "Supreme Court dismisses Lakshmi Parvathi's plea on Naidu's assets" (9 September 2022)
thehansindia.com
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Deccan Chronicle, "ACB court says Lakshmi Parvathi has no locus standi to file case against Naidu" (4 May 2021)
deccanchronicle.com
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LawChakra, "PIL in Supreme Court alleges Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu obstructing criminal investigations" (21 January 2025)
lawchakra.in
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The New Indian Express, "AP HC adjourns PIL seeking CBI, ED probe against Chandrababu Naidu, ministers" (13 February 2025)
newindianexpress.com
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YSR Congress Party, statements of Botcha Satyanarayana (1 December 2025) and Sake Sailajanath (13 January 2026)
ysrcongress.com
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Samayam Telugu, "సీఐడీ చీఫ్ సంజయ్, సిట్ చీఫ్ రఘురామ్రెడ్డిలపై వేటు" (8 June 2024)
telugu.samayam.com
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TeluguOne, "Chandrababu Naidu recalls jail memories" (9 September 2026)
teluguone.com
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The Hindu, "Chandrababu Naidu masterminding a massive sand loot, alleges Jagan" (13 October 2024)
thehindu.com
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